Friday, 12 Aug 2011
Japanese power wholesaler Electric Power Development said it resumed operations at the 1,050 MW coal fired No.2 unit in its Tachibana wan plant in western Japan at 11:36AM on Wednesday after an unplanned shutdown last month.
The unit was closed on July 30 after a problem. The company said at the time that it was expected to restart in mid August.
(Sourced from Reuters)
Showing posts with label Japanese power companies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japanese power companies. Show all posts
Friday, August 12, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Xstrata kicks off FY 2011 thermal coal contract talks in Japan
28Mar2011/1103 am EDT/1503 GMT
Mannila (Platts)-- Major Australian coal producer Xstrata has kicked off 2011 fiscal year thermal coal contract negotiations with power utilities in the west of Japan, excluding Tohoku Electric whose major plants in the east are unoperational following the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami, sources said Monday.
In talks held last week, Xstrata was said to have held separate meetings with representatives of Chugoku Electric, Kansai Electric, Chubu Electric and Kyushu Electric, one Japan-based source said.
Meetings have yet to be held with Hokuriku Electric and Shikoku Electric, both of which are situated in the western part of Japan, the source said. Xstrata also held off talks with Tohoku Electric and Tokyo Electric (Tepco).
No prices were tabled by either Xstrata or the Japanese power utilities during the separate talks, sources said, although Xstrata representatives may return in the next week or 10 days to resume negotiations.
"There were no prices talked about during the meetings last week. Both sides stated their market analysis. I believe there were no numbers discussed, because both sides felt there would be a big discrepancy in the price expectations," the Japanese source said.
In the absence of Tohoku as a so-called champion negotiator for the Japanese power utilities, it is believed that Chugoku will lead the FY2011 talks for the Japanese side, the source said.
'TOKYO STILL HAVING ROLLING BLACKOUTS'
Industry sources said coal prices had not skyrocketed as previously expected following the massive Japanese temblor, as the loss of coal-fired power capacity in Japan had been huge.
"Clearly, there is a shortage. This is a power crisis. That is why Tokyo is still experiencing rolling power outages," the Japanese source said.
"Tohoku is one of the biggest coal buyers in Japan. Its Haramachi coal-fired power station alone consumes up to 5 million mt of coal annually.
The market for Australian coal in Japan has shrunk. Japan is currently not a major destination for Australian coal," the Japanese source said. A coal trader estimated Japan's fiscal 2011 coal imports would decline by 12-17 million mt.
"There has been no advice when the damaged Japanese coal-fired power stations will resume operations. From my point of view, it will take about a year or longer before these damaged power plants return to operation," the Japanese source said.
"Australian shippers have to find other markets for their coal. I don't see coal prices riding high this year because of the tragedy that struck Japan." He added, however, that certain power companies would run their coal-fired power stations at higher capacities this spring -- a season when coal stations are usually idled or stopped for maintenance -- to provide support in the current electricity crisis.
"But the JPUs will not only be increasing their coal-fired power capacities. The JPUs will also operate their other power stations running on oil and LNG at higher capacities," he commented.(sourced:The Platts)
Tags :Kyushu Electric, Hokuriku Electric, Shikoku Electric, Tokyo, raw material,
Mannila (Platts)-- Major Australian coal producer Xstrata has kicked off 2011 fiscal year thermal coal contract negotiations with power utilities in the west of Japan, excluding Tohoku Electric whose major plants in the east are unoperational following the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami, sources said Monday.
In talks held last week, Xstrata was said to have held separate meetings with representatives of Chugoku Electric, Kansai Electric, Chubu Electric and Kyushu Electric, one Japan-based source said.
Meetings have yet to be held with Hokuriku Electric and Shikoku Electric, both of which are situated in the western part of Japan, the source said. Xstrata also held off talks with Tohoku Electric and Tokyo Electric (Tepco).
No prices were tabled by either Xstrata or the Japanese power utilities during the separate talks, sources said, although Xstrata representatives may return in the next week or 10 days to resume negotiations.
"There were no prices talked about during the meetings last week. Both sides stated their market analysis. I believe there were no numbers discussed, because both sides felt there would be a big discrepancy in the price expectations," the Japanese source said.
In the absence of Tohoku as a so-called champion negotiator for the Japanese power utilities, it is believed that Chugoku will lead the FY2011 talks for the Japanese side, the source said.
'TOKYO STILL HAVING ROLLING BLACKOUTS'
Industry sources said coal prices had not skyrocketed as previously expected following the massive Japanese temblor, as the loss of coal-fired power capacity in Japan had been huge.
"Clearly, there is a shortage. This is a power crisis. That is why Tokyo is still experiencing rolling power outages," the Japanese source said.
"Tohoku is one of the biggest coal buyers in Japan. Its Haramachi coal-fired power station alone consumes up to 5 million mt of coal annually.
The market for Australian coal in Japan has shrunk. Japan is currently not a major destination for Australian coal," the Japanese source said. A coal trader estimated Japan's fiscal 2011 coal imports would decline by 12-17 million mt.
"There has been no advice when the damaged Japanese coal-fired power stations will resume operations. From my point of view, it will take about a year or longer before these damaged power plants return to operation," the Japanese source said.
"Australian shippers have to find other markets for their coal. I don't see coal prices riding high this year because of the tragedy that struck Japan." He added, however, that certain power companies would run their coal-fired power stations at higher capacities this spring -- a season when coal stations are usually idled or stopped for maintenance -- to provide support in the current electricity crisis.
"But the JPUs will not only be increasing their coal-fired power capacities. The JPUs will also operate their other power stations running on oil and LNG at higher capacities," he commented.(sourced:The Platts)
Tags :Kyushu Electric, Hokuriku Electric, Shikoku Electric, Tokyo, raw material,
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Australia thermal coal prices steady
8 Mar 2011 , 9:00 PM,
Australia's thermal coal prices, a benchmark for Asia, were steady last week in a quiet market as most players waited on the sidelines for the settlement of the Japanese annual thermal coal contract.
Thermal coal on the globalCOAL Newcastle index for the week to date was $US130.75 per tonne on Monday, relatively unchanged from $132 a week earlier and up slightly from $129.48 on Friday.
"It's hard to tell if there's any movement in the current period, it's a little bit quiet, the price is quite stable," one Sydney-based trader said.
Large Japanese utilities Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), Tohoku Electric Power Co Inc and Chubu Electric , negotiate April-to-March fiscal year thermal contracts with Xstrata, the world's largest exporter of thermal coal.
The contracts are generally around spot price levels, often with a supply security premium.
"Overall, the market is still tight in the Pacific, so miners have a strong negotiation position," one Singapore-based trader said.
Trade sources said that bids and offers stood about $US10 apart, with Xstrata said to be offering a price of $US140 per tonne and Japanese utilities countering with a $US130 per tonne bid.
Although still far apart, the parties were closer than a few weeks ago when the offer was said to be at $US145 per tonne, with utilities saying they would only be willing to pay $US125 per tonne.
Chinese demand for imported coal continued to be thin, with supplies in the world's number one producer and consumer of coal outstripping demand.
Chinese coal with a heating value of 5,500 kcal/kg was flat at 770 to 780 yuan.
As coal prices in Australia have risen, the arbitrage between Chinese coal prices and Australian imports are at the widest since September 2008.
Indian buyers were back in the market for Indonesian coal, traders said, with deals for 4,900 kcal/kg done for around $US80 per tonne.
Week ahead
Xstrata will head to Japan next week to meet Japanese utilities and all eyes will be on the annual contract talks, which are often used as a benchmark for other deals.
The market will also continue to watch for increasing demand from China and India. (Reuters)
Tags : globalCOAL NEWC Index, benchmark for Asia, Newcastle index, spot prices
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
